Bite the favourites
Underdogs UniKL out to turn the tables on KLHC
KUALA LUMPUR: An explosive affair is assured as KL Hockey Club ( KLHC) and Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) square off in the TNB Cup final at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.
Their roles ahead of the showdown could not be more different. KLHC, who have already won the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup and the Charity Shield, are the clear favourites.
UniKL, playing in only their first final since making their debut in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) in 2011, will start as the underdogs.
That lesser label, however, only makes UniKL more determined to defy the odds.
UniKL defender Baljit Singh Charun said he would bank on his experience to inspire his team to end their title drought.
The Kuala Lumpur-born Baljit helped Tenaga Nasional win the overall title three times in 2004, 2007 and 2009 before he joined UniKL in 2012.
“We know the odds are against us. KLHC are more experienced when it comes to finals. They also have calibre players in every department,” said Baljit, who was UniKL captain from 2012 to 2015.
“But we vow to give our best as nothing is impossible. We must rise to the occasion and play our hearts out.
“We’ve a good mix of local and foreign players too. We showed our credentials against KLHC by coming back from a three-goal deficit to hold them to a 3-3 draw in the Premier Division match.
“We just need to keep believing in ourselves that we can do it,” added Baljit, who was named the MHL’s best player in 2009.
UniKL can also count on Dutchman Jeroen Hertzberger, who has scored 12 goals so far (five field and seven from penalty corners), to give KLHC a hard time.
KLHC coach Chiow Chuan is bracing for a tough encounter with the university side.
“Our one main concern is our penalty corner conversion rate. We earned 12 penalty corners against Tenaga in the semi-final return leg but we converted just two.
“We’re under no pressure to win the final despite being the favourites.
“We’ve beaten UniKL twice in the league but it will be foolish to take them lightly as they have a great team with some exceptional players,” he added.
KLHC, powered by seven national players and six foreigners, have won the TNB Cup five times in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.